Hero
by Phoenix Moon17
Summary: Most nations wonder why America is always annoying, loud, and calling himself "the hero." Heck even America wonders why himself! Though while the rest of the list of things about America is sort of unexplained, the last one is one that America can explain. The problem is he doesn't want to tell anyone. 9/11 tribute.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or anything you recognize! **

**A/N: This oneshot is dedicated to the victims of 9/11. Let's have a minute of silence for the victims... *respectful silence* I hope you all like it.**

Most nations wonder why America is always annoying, loud, and calling himself "the hero." Heck even America wonders why himself! Though while the rest of the list of things about America is sort of unexplained, the last one is one that America _can_ explain. The problem is he doesn't want to tell anyone.

He was sitting on the couch in his house one day. Looking through the albums he has in the living room. Then he suddenly found _the_ album, filled with pictures of him with _her_. The reason why he calls himself the hero. _She_ made him promise to keep being the hero.

_Flashback_

_It was July 3rd of 2000. America was in a grocery store, buying stuff for his awesome birthday party the next day. On his way out he bumped into someone, causing the stranger to fall to the floor. "Oh! Sorry dude! I didn't see you," America said sheepishly, lending a hand to the stranger._

_"I-it's alright. No harm done," said the stranger, stuttering in the beginning, her eyes glued to the floor. She blushed when she realized America was still holding his hand out so, she grabbed it and got to her feet._

_Picking up her fallen bags she looked at the man who ran into her. He had golden blonde hair with a cowlick and glasses that framed sky blue eyes that sparkled with happiness. He had a bomber jacket on with the number 50 on it and blue jeans. He looked about 19 to early twenties._

_While the mystery girl was looking at America, he did the same to her. She had chocolate brown hair and exotic purple eyes that seemed to be filled with curiosity and innocence. She had a navy bluish t-shirt that had "Don't mess with Texas Girls" on it and blue jean shorts. She looked to be either in her late teens or her early twenties._

_"Um, hi sorry about that. I'm Alfred F. Jones and I'm the hero!" America said, striking his hero pose. The girl laughed and introduced herself too._

_"It's alright um Alfred was it? I'm Aradia B. Celeste. And yeah my last name and my initials are kinda weird aren't they? " she replied and added the last part as an afterthought. Alfred laughed at the last statement._

_"Hey! To make up for what happened I'm inviting you to my awesome hero birthday party!" he shouted, hugging Aradia tightly._

_"You don't have to! It was an accident," she protested, blushing._

_"I insist!"_

_End Flashback_

That was how he met her. America grinned as he remembered what happened when she finally gave in and went to his party. When he turned the page he found the picture of her reaction to finding out he was the personification of the U.S. (Hungary took the picture and gave it to him).

_Flashback_

_"Wait so let me get this straight. You and almost every person here are personifications of countries, can't die unless your economy and government dies, and the presidents or monarchies of your countries are your bosses?" Aradia asked, baffled and shocked. All the countries present nodded. Aradia collapsed on the couch, her face the perfect expression of shock. Hungary got out her camera and snapped a picture of Aradia's face._

_"Ja, ex-countries in some cases though," That was Gilbert Beilschmidt or Prussia._

_"Pretty much," That was her new found friend, Alfred, or should she say America._

_"Oui," Francis Bonnefoy or France._

_"Si," Antonio Carriedo or Spain._

_Then she fainted. "Huh, she took that better than Clinton did," said America, picking Aradia up and walked upstairs. He also thought about how Clinton reacted when he found out Aflred was the U.S.. He chuckled quietly._

_"Where are you going you git? It's your party!" Arthur A.K.A. England asked._

_"To put Aradia down somewhere!" he called back, walking to his room. When he got there, he layed Aradia down on his bed. He started to stroke her hair absentmindedly. Aradia shot up out of the bed 7 minutes later, and looked around. _

_"Where am I? Is the party over?" she asked him._

_"You're in my room, and no it's not over. Everyone downstairs is probably waiting for us to come back down. You alright?" he asked, concerned._

_"Fine, this is just a lot to take in you know?" Alfred just nodded and after a few minutes, they walked downstairs together._

_End Flashback_

They kept hanging out afterwards. He found out about her family and her past. Her parents died two years before they met, so she ended up having to live with her older 27-year-old brother. That is until she found a place of her own, which she did a year after her parents died. Her brother took care of their 16-year-old sister while she kept studying and working to pay off her rent for her apartment in New York City. She was very kind, sweet, caring, stubborn, intelligent, friendly, he could go on. That was when he knew he completely, absolutely, and extremely loved her.

In the three months they knew each other, she had gotten an album to put pictures in. Within those three months, they filled up half of the album! Pictures with them at the park, McDonalds, and places around the city. There were even a few pictures with the two of them with her siblings. Some pictures are from the World Conferences that happened once a month (she took most of the pictures).

It wasn't until September 3rd, three months after they met that America found out she loved him too.

_Flashback_

_Alfred and Aradia had decided to meet in a nearby McDonalds one afternoon. They ordered and sat down. "So what did you want to tell me Alfie?" asked Aradia._

_"Why don't you go first Dia?" _

_"Um alright I mmmhff..." she said._

_"Uh I couldn't hear you Dia, can you repeat that?"_

_"I said, Iloveyou." Alfie's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he caught the words. Dia's heart sank at his reaction and she looked down. Did he think it was plain ridiculous to start to love someone within the first three months of meeting?_

_"You think it's ridiculous right?" she said sadly, close to tears._

_"NO! No! Actually that's what I wanted to tell you!" Alfie exclaimed. Dia's head shot up and looked at him with hopeful eyes._

_"R-really?" she asked, daring to believe._

_"Yeah, I love you too Dia," he whispered to her. Tears glistened in her eyes as she launched herself at him. Tackling him in a massive hug. When they pulled away, they looked at each other's eyes for a minute. Alfie gently grabbed Dia's chin, pulled her to him, and their lips met in a perfect kiss._

_After pulling away to breath, Alfie looked into Dia's glowing purple eyes, sparkling with happiness. "Aradia B. Celeste, will you be my girlfriend?" he murmured softly._

_"Yes," she muttered back and their lips met again._

_End Flashback_

When they told everyone, they weren't all that surprised. Though Daniel and Anastasia, her siblings, threatened him if he did anything to hurt Dia which was highly unlikely. A year after they got together, Alfred decided to pop the big question on their 1st year anniversery. He didn't care if she was only human and that he was a country.

Alfie had prepared dinner and set up a romantic atmosphere in her favorite place, which was the park. He had told her earlier to wear something nice and formal and to meet him at the park at 8. Everything had gone smoothly so far and then it was time to pop the question. When he had asked the question, she just sat there in shock for a few minutes. During those few minutes, Alfie was shaking nervously. Dia finally regained her senses and noticed Alfie. She had screamed yes in his ear when she hugged him.

The next day they announced their engagement to all of their friends and family. Wedding plans had begun early because of Hungary, Anastasia, and France. Then he remembered the day everything was destroyed...

_Flashback_

_September 11 came and Alfie was in the apartment him and Dia shared together (he moved in 5 months after they got together). Dia was visiting a friend of hers that worked at the World Trade Center. _

_At exactly 8:45 A.M that day Alfie felt a pain erupted in his lower back. Calling Arthur, who was thankfully close by, he told him about the pain he was feeling. They both knew something bad has happened somewhere in America. When Arthur got to the apartment he laid Alfie on the couch while they switched the TV on. The image of the North Tower of the World Trade Center beginning to fall was what they saw._

_Alfie panicked but, remembered that Dia was in the South Tower. He called her anyway. "Pick up, pick up. Please pick up Dia." he muttered as the phone rang._

_"Hello? Alfie?" Dia asked, picking up the phone._

_"Thank God! You answered! What floor of the South Tower are you at right now?" he asked slightly panicked. He winced slightly from the burning pain in his lower back._

_"Um... the... 58th floor. Why? I know about the North Tower. I'm looking at it collapsing right now... Oh my god! Are you alright? Are you hurt? I know you're hurting if they attacked the Tower!" she pleaded into the phone, worried about her fiancee._

_"Look I want you to get out of the Tower as fast as possible okay? I have a feeling something's going to happen to the South Tower. I'm fine, my lower back is hurting like hell though. Otherwise I'm fine," he tried to soothe his worried fiancée._

_"Okay I'm running down the stairs as fast as possible. I'm on the 52nd floor-AHHH!" she shrieked. There were sounds of explosions, rumbling, and screaming._

_"DIA! Dia are you alright? Are you there?" Alfie demanded half getting out of his seat his glasses nearly flying off in the process. Until suddenly he felt another burning pain up his upper back. _

_"Alfred? Are you alright? What happened... Oh. Alfred come see this," Arthur said sounding grim. Alfie turned around and looked at the TV. An airplane hitting the South Tower was the image that greeted them._

_There was the sound of someone coughing on the phone and screaming and the pounding of feet. "Alfie? Still there? The South Tower just got hit and everyone's running down the stairs. Don't worry I'm fine, just a little scratched from tripping. Are you alright?" Dia's voice came through the phone filled with panic, worry, and fear. Alfred groaned in pain and laid down again._

_"I-I'm fine Dia... sorta. I want you to keep running down those stairs you hear me?" he demanded, scared that he was going to lose her. Alfie was fighting against the pain, fighting to stay awake to talk to Dia, to make sure she gets out of there._

_"I'm trying my best Alfie! What if... what if I don't make it out before it collapses? You and I both know that this building will collapse," she whispered sadly. Alfie shook his head furiously._

_"No! You will get out! I'll make sure you do! I'm going to save you and the people with you! I'll be the hero!" he exclaimed. Arthur, who suspected they needed privacy, walked out of the room and to the kitchen._

_"Alfie... I don't think you can save us all, we're close to the top floor and all of us can feel the building collapsing around us. We're already at the 37th floor. I just want you to know that I love you forever and ever. And I want you to promise me something," Dia sobbed, it was clear that she was crying._

_"I can try! I-I love you too Dia, forever and ever. Wha-what is it? What do you want me to promise you?" Alfie choked on his sobs. Fighting the pain and the tears nearly made him collapse, but he had to hear what Dia wanted him to promise her._

_"Keep being everyone's hero alright? Always be the hero when someone needs it okay? I love you," she said lovingly and sweetly. Alfie had a feeling this would be the last time he would hear her voice._

_"I promise. I promise I'll be the hero... I-I love you too," he said just as lovingly and sweetly as she had said to him. He stood up despite the pain and walked towards the kitchen. All of a sudden a pain in his head hit him so hard he blacked out..._

_==================TIME SKIP====================_

_Alfie woke up several hours later in a hospital. Arthur, Canada (though no one really noticed him), France, the president, Daniel, and Anastasia crowded his hospital bed. Though their forms were blurry until someone passed him his glasses._

_"Good to see you're awake Alfred," the president said, smiling grimly._

_"Why did I pass out after that pain in my head?" Alfie asked._

_"Ze Pentagon got hit," France said hoarsely._

_"How many..." Alfie asked, his voice sounded pained._

_"Too many," Arthur whispered._

_"And Dia...?" he asked desperately, hoping. All of their eyes were suddenly directed at the floor. Daniel and Anastasia had tears in their eyes along with Canada, France, and England. That was all Alfred needed to know._

_"Did.. did they find her body at least?" he muttered, trying to hold back the tears and sobs. Daniel and Anastasia nodded._

_"They found her, eyes open, a smile on her face. She was holding her phone when they found her," sobbed Anastasia._

_Alfred stared blankly at the wall ahead. Trying to wrap his mind around the fact his fiancée was dead. There was a dull pain that he knew was what he got from the incident. There was also a burning pain in his chest, he felt as if there was a massive hole in his heart. Knowing the country won't be responding for awhile, the president ushered everyone out of the room and closed the door behind him. The minute they were out Alfred curled into a ball and began to sob._

_End Flashback_

Tears hit the last page on the album. The two last pictures they had taken together was on the night he had proposed and the day before 9/11, when they were in Central Park sitting on a picnic blanket, eating lunch. They had asked a passerby-er to take the photo. They were wearing the same clothes they wore when they first met and the engagement ring on Dia's finger had been glistening proudly in the picture.

Alfie, on the outside, looked like he had gotten over it but, in truth he hadn't. It still hurt just thinking about her name. Daniel had moved from New York to Dallas a week after her funeral. Anastasia stayed and went to NYU but, she was never the same anymore. None of them were the same. The countries seemed a little subdued the next few months after 9/11 but, it seemed that they moved on. He knew that while everyone would move on, he wouldn't be able to. He wouldn't be able to love anyone else like he loved Dia. To this day, the massive hole in his heart remained.

To this day, whenever the anniversary of 9/11 comes by, he puts roses, lilies, orchids, Forget-Me-Nots, and Immortal Flowers on the spot where the World Trade Center was and also her grave. The first three flowers were put there because they were Dia's favorites. The Forget-Me-Nots meant "remembrance" and the Immortal Flowers meant "unfading remembrance". To this day he would go to Central Park and sit in the same spot they had the picnic. He would just stare at the people walking by and remember all of the good times they shared. After that he would go home and try to forget about the scar he had on his back and the hole in his heart.

Arthur later bugged Alfie as to what were him and Dia talking about after he left that day. But he never said. He wants to keep their last conversation all to himself. Alfie closed the album and walked upstairs. After he got ready for bed and was laying down, Dia's last words rang in his ears.

_**Keep being everyone's hero alright? Always be the hero when someone needs it okay? I love you.**_

**A/N: This is my first Hetalia oneshot and I hope you enjoyed it! I haven't watched that much episodes on Hetalia (okay I just watched one episode on youtube and I've been reading Hetalia fanfics) so forgive me if I got their personalities wrong. Forgive me also for doing a bad French and German accent. -_- I'm afraid I'm not the best when it comes to accents. Apologies to all grammar and spelling mistakes. Not to mention sorry if Alfred is a little OOC. Flames will be used for roasting s'mores. Constructive criticism is always welcome :). Basically all sorts of reviews are welcome. I'm sorry if this fic is offensive or anything. But as some people say, don't like then don't read. See ya around!**

_**PM (Phoenix Moon17)**_


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